AUGUST is a particularly vibrant month for art exhibitions with many of the region's societies putting their prized members artistry on show for us all to savour.

Among them, the Lake Artists Society exhibition is running at Grasmere, both Cartmel and Windermere art societies stage their popular annual shows and Kendal Art Society's yearly offering opens any minute (August 13).

Another absolute bonanza for art lovers is Milnthorpe Art Exhibition.

Organised by Milnthorpe Men's Forum, MAE is one of the most popular open art shows in the north west with scores of gifted artists showing, and runs at St Thomas's Church from Thursday (August 4) until Sunday, August 7.

The chosen charity to benefit from the 2016 exhibition is the Springfield Hostel at Kendal.

Last year's show donated £7,500 to good causes.

Featured artists for the 2016 exhibition are two prominent figures in artistic circles - painter Frances Winder and Geoff Taylor.

Highly regarded Frances has lived in Kendal for 15 years. Inspired by wild and wonderful landscapes, she is moved by colour, mood and light. Sometimes Frances uses a straightforward, representational approach, but increasingly exploring the abstract. She loves to experiment with texture and colour and follow themes and ideas of work, large and small.

After a fine art degree at Manchester College of Art and an art teaching degree, Frances taught art in the Manchester area for five years. Her career has included illustration work for architects and advertising agencies, teaching in adult education as well as exhibiting in both solo and group shows.

She works in acrylics, gouache, oil, pastel and other mixed media methods, as well as making ceramics.

As well as a terrific wildlife painter - particularly his stunning images of wolves - Geoff Taylor is well known for the artwork which illustrated Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds album, and led to him creating book covers for fantasy and science fiction writers such as David Eddings, Raymond E Feist, Michael Moorcock, and JRR Tolkien.

One of Geoff's first commissions was in 1976 for Philip K Dick's Counter Clock World.

He also received commissions for pen and ink illustrations for children’s books for authors such as Michelle Paver and Cliff McNish. Another of his talents evolved when he was taken on by Games Workshop, a role-playing gaming company where he produced many illustrations for their unique Warhammer World.

Now semi-retired, Geoff has lived in Arnside for nigh on 20 years and has now found a new passion in the Lake District fells and has been painting landscapes.

Milnthorpe Art Exhibition is open 10am-7pm (Sunday, 10am-3pm).